Competitive pressure in the Vietnamese team

With the latest moves from coach Kim Sang-sik, the Vietnamese national team players need to try their best if they don't want to lose their starting position.

WHY CHANGE?

After winning the AFF Cup 2024, the Vietnamese team has revealed quite a few problems. Apart from the 5-0 victory over Laos in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers, the performances of Quang Hai and his teammates have not been really convincing. While the 0-4 loss at Malaysia's Bukit Jalil Stadium can be understood due to the opponent's illegal mass naturalization, the two matches with Nepal revealed a number of problems, even though the Vietnamese team won all 6 points.

From left to right: Xuan Manh, Tien Linh, Duy Manh are all pillars of the Vietnamese team but still need to make a lot of effort in the coming time.

PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

Firstly, the Vietnamese national team’s defense is now quite fragile. Some talented central defenders who are at the prime of their careers, such as Viet Anh and Thanh Binh, are injured and cannot return. Meanwhile, the group of pillars such as Duy Manh and Tien Dung are not at their best. Coach Kim Sang-sik had to use Xuan Manh, a right-back, to play as a left-wing central defender. In the right-back position, in the context that Tan Tai and Van Thanh need more time to recover, the Vietnamese national team has only one choice, Tien Anh. The places that make fans temporarily feel secure are the goalkeeper and left-back.

In the midfield, the Vietnamese team no longer controlled the game very well due to the lack of ability to compete, partly due to Ngoc Tan not returning. In the attack, only one striker scored in recent matches, Tien Linh; the other two players who scored for the Vietnamese team in the two matches against Nepal were defenders Xuan Manh and Van Vi.

To be able to conquer bigger goals in the future, the Vietnamese team needs to improve its strength thoroughly. Mr. Kim is also determined to do this.

WHERE DOES CHANGE COME FROM?

Right from the FIFA Days training session in October, Coach Kim Sang-sik began to make changes when he called up a series of U.23 players such as Thanh Nhan, Nhat Minh, Hieu Minh... to the Vietnam national team and let them play. The performances of these young players were relatively positive. That is the reason why the Korean captain is likely to continue to give the pillars of the U.23 Vietnam team the opportunity to play in the FIFA Days series in November.

In addition, the Vietnamese team will also welcome the return of Xuan Son. This striker has not played in the V-League after recovering from injury, but calling him up is necessary. When the upcoming opponent is only the Laos team, the opportunity for him to score, regain inspiration and confidence is very high. From there, he can explode in the important match with the Malaysian team next year. Not to mention, his presence is also a motivation to push the strikers to try harder to compete for a starting position.

Besides, Xuan Son can also be a "catalyst" for Do Hoang Hen, a new player with Vietnamese nationality, to integrate faster into the Vietnamese team. These two players are former teammates, who played very well together in the colors of Binh Dinh Club (now Quy Nhon Club) and Nam Dinh Club. It is likely that the attacking midfielder of Hanoi Club will also be included in the upcoming team list by Mr. Kim. It will not be until early next year that Hoang Hen is eligible to wear the Vietnamese team shirt in an official match, but being "fed the national team's rice" early is also necessary, helping him adapt to new teammates and new playing style.

Furthermore, some quality foreign players such as central defender Gustavo Sant Ana ( Da Nang Club) and Janclesio Almeida, striker Geovane Magno (Ninh Binh Club) also have the opportunity to be called up to the Vietnam national team if they soon get citizenship. This group of players has good skills, has been attached to the V-League for a long time, is eager to contribute in the red and yellow shirt and has been proposed to be granted Vietnamese citizenship. Overseas Vietnamese players such as Patrik Le Giang, Adou Minh, Kevin Pham Ba, Kyle Colonna... can also be called up if they are granted citizenship and maintain stable performance as they have shown in the past. All will create a new, quality human resource, capable of helping the Vietnam national team improve its strength and conquer new heights.

The appearance of naturalized stars, overseas Vietnamese players or young players will certainly boost competition in the Vietnamese national team. If they cannot maintain their best form, any key player can lose their place. This pressure will be the motivation for players to make double efforts, not only to maintain their position but also to prove their worth, thereby helping the Vietnamese national team to possess a squad with depth and strong fighting ability.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ap-luc-canh-tranh-o-doi-tuyen-viet-nam-185251102224033699.htm